


Happy to Help

by pinchess07



Series: Only When I'm Useful [1]
Category: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (Movies)
Genre: Also he names the swooping evil Lilac, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Fluff and Angst, Graves Lives, He's crushing on Graves so hard guys, M/M, Newt thinks Graves only likes him because he's useful
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-03
Updated: 2017-01-03
Packaged: 2018-09-14 12:35:59
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,365
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9182116
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pinchess07/pseuds/pinchess07
Summary: For this prompt at the km:Real Graves is rescued and all but experiences some bad effects from his imprisonment at Grindelwald's hands (flashbacks are welcome) so Newt suggests a therapy creature. He chooses Lilac the Swooping Evil who restrained Grindelwald in the subway.This helps immensely due to the subconscious safety Graves gets being protected by the very thing to capture the man who tortured him.Bonus points for using Lilac in an interrogation and is just casually mentions how Lilac will eat a criminal's brain if he doesn't talk. Optional therapy cats/kneazels kittens glaring down shady characters.Events from Percival Graves' POV. Companion piece of Only When I'm Useful, which is Newt's POV.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Not beta'ed.

He's on a hair trigger today due to a ~~Grindelwald~~ nightmare. Everything sets his instincts off: a swish of someone's skirt, the scraping sound of a chair being pulled, footsteps everywhere, coming and going and passing him by.  
  
He's clenching his hands so tightly to prevent pulling his wand and just cursing everyone in the vicinity. He's so, so close to snapping.  
  
It's visible to everyone he meets, the whole lot of them jumping out of his way. He could swear he even saw someone outright _running_ out of the room upon seeing Percival there.  
  
Each and every encounter winds him up even more. Seeing fear reflected in the eyes of everyone he meets makes him grit his teeth. It wasn't his fault--  
  
Ah. But it's no use crying about how unfair things are. No matter how much Grindlewald had mucked up his life, Percival is determined to take it back.  
  
And that's why even on a day he's decidedly feeling off-balance and vulnerable, he still goes to work. He's hardly going to get his life back by lounging in bed. A nightmare is not a valid excuse for not coming in to work. It's not an example that he wants to set with his Aurors.  
  
He doesn't notice that he's stopped in the middle of a corridor, staring into space blankly. He doesn't notice anyone approaching, let alone reaching out.  
  
He feels something brush his coat. In a flash, he has the offending-- _fingers?_ \-- in a firm grip, and he's pinning the body it belongs to up the nearest wall.  
  
Newt Scamander's wide, concerned eyes look back at him, and there's not a shred of fear to be found in them.  
  
The man is... docile. He doesn't try to struggle, and he keeps his breathing even and measured. He's the epitome of calmness, even with Percival right up in his space, with the face that Grindlewald once tortured him with.  
  
He doesn't try to reach for his wand.  
  
Percival releases his hold like he's been struck by a Stinging Hex. Percival half-expects him to bolt, but Newt stays by the wall.  
  
Just observing him. Just waiting. He doesn't try to avert his gaze either. Percival doesn't know why he's relaxing bit by bit even under the scrutiny. He doesn't know how long they've been standing there, just looking at each other's eyes.  
  
He's very surprised that Newt can even meet someone's eyes for this long. The British wizard usually avoids eye contact--  
  
_What can he see?_  
  
Percival drops his gaze first, utterly unsettled by that thought.  
  
"I apologize, Scamander," Percival offers before stepping away. He hurries off to his office, not bothering to wait for a response. He notices that he's not as tense, not as close to snapping at every little thing.  
  
He counts it as a small miracle and focuses on his work.  
  
\--  
  
He surfaces for air above the sea of paperwork on his desk several hours later, only to realize that Newt Scamander is seated on a chair across his desk, keenly but unobtrusively observing him.  
  
"Can I help you, Scamander?" he asks warily. Newt cocks his head to the side.  
  
"Did you know that a Swooping Evil can absorb curses fired at it?" Newt asks back. Percival blinks and shakes his head slowly.  
  
"It also eats human brains, although I've created an alternative diet for mine. Now it only does that when prompted," Newt continues. And Percival continues to be baffled.  
  
"Oh. That's... reassuring," Percival replies. Newt grins.  
  
"That's what I thought as well! So, I thought I'd let you keep Lilac for a while," Newt says. Percival _knows_ Newt had spoken in English.  
  
But that doesn't mean it made any sense to Percival.  
  
"Sorry, what did you just say?"  
  
Newt ignores his question in favor of fiddling with something in his right coat sleeve. He watches in horrified fascination as Newt carefully extracts a palm-sized spiny green ball.  
  
"That's--?"  
  
"Stretch out your hand for me please, Mister Graves," Newt requests, polite as you please. His traitorous hand is laying palm up on his desk in seconds, paying no mind to how dangerous the spiny green ball is.  
  
_It's really soft._  
  
"Hang on, didn't you say it's name was _Lilac?_ It's green, Newt!" Percival blurts out. Of all the things he wanted to ask, _why that one?_  
  
His brain must be melting out of his ears due to the ridiculousness of the situation.  
  
Newt pouts. "She's lilac on the inside!"  
  
Percival, who'd unconsciously started stroking the Swooping Evil, apparently does _something,_ causing Lilac to burst into action. It flies gracefully across the room, displaying its full wingspan and the magnificent blue underside.  
  
It has three tails, Percival notes idly.  
  
Lilac goes for three laps. It dives down to Percival's hand after surveying the room and finding no threats, and curls back up into a ball.  
  
Percival discards the first three thoughts that come to mind, including a comment about Lilac's actual color.  
  
"She's beautiful," he comments quietly, and he knows it's the right thing to say because Newt grants him a dazzling smile.  
  
"She's helped me loads of times. And I thought she could help you too. You... looked like you were... wary of being attacked, earlier. At a state of hyper-awareness, I should say. The point where everything is a potential threat," Newt explains. "I've seen it loads of times, even experienced it a few times myself."  
  
"And Lilac would help how exactly?" Percival asks, looking closer at Lilac curiously. He finds a part of the green ball where the ends of Lilac's tails are visible.  
  
"Security," Newt announces earnestly. "Backup. Subconsciously, you understand Lilac can protect you. Even now, you're slightly slouching on your seat, Mister Graves. You're relaxed."  
  
Percival blinks and glances down at his body.  
  
_So I am._  
  
"Ah. You're right," Percival agrees, marvelling at the man in front of him. How can he know what to do to help? For all accounts, Newt Scamander is not good with people. How does he know what would make Percival relax?  
  
"Please keep Lilac for now. I don't have any plans to leave the country just yet, so just focus on recovering," Newt continues. Percival nods, smiling a bit.  
  
Newt Scamander is a puzzle, and Percival would love to learn how to solve him. He's never backed out of a challenge.  
  
\--  
  
"Here you go, Mister Graves!" Newt declares, dropping a soft, black, fluffy monstrosity in Percival's lap.  
  
Percival glares at him. "I told you, call me Percival. And what is this?"  
  
Two weeks after he first entrusted Lilac to Percival, Newt Scamander continues to be an unsolvable puzzle.  
  
"This is Kiter! You can have him for the day. You looked like you had a bad dream last night," Newt explains, smiling and looking exceptionally proud of himself. Percival most definitely doesn't stare at him dumbly. It's amazing how Newt's face transforms from his usual shy demeanor to... _this._ No, Percival's not staring. Nor is he thinking about how Newt noticed that he was grumpier than usual when he went to work that day. He's not thinking about that at all.  
  
"Meow," Kiter adds loudly, catching Percival's attention. Percival thinks the kneazel would be alright, except it has a permanent scowl on its face. Unfortunate, that.  
  
_Or..._  
  
"As it happens, I need to go... _ask_... someone some questions. I think I'll bring Kiter with me. Thank you, Newt," Percival replies with a grin.  
  
He walks off to the interrogation room still thinking about how Newt had blushed at Percival's declaration of gratitude. He places Kiter on the table, where the kneazle proceeds to glare down at the crook on the opposite side. Percival can see the guy start sweating.  
  
Sherwin Shorepool is the main suspect for kidnapping the Vestius heiress. A ten-year-old girl.  
  
"Shorepool. I have very limited patience. I've got bigger puzzles to solve," Percival announces blandly. He decides making the guy sweat isn't enough, and adds, "Start talking, or I feed your brain to my Swooping Evil."  
  
Shorepool violently shoves away from the table, spluttering. "Wha--Swooping Evil?!"  
  
Percival motions to his coat sleeve, but doesn't actually pull Lilac out. "Would you like to meet it?"  
  
" _Bloody buggering fuck no!_ " Shorepool shouts, backing further away from the table.  
  
"Ah, that's a shame. Now, start talking," Percival demands. Shorepool cooperates pretty well-- the heiress is found a half hour later.  
  
The puzzle of Newt Scamander remains. He gives Kiter a backrub, and the kneazle happily purrs in return. He's not so bad after all.  
  
\--  
  
"Boss," Goldstein calls from his office door one night right before going home.  
  
"What is it?" Percival asks, attention on the interdepartmental memo in his hand. It's about... something about toilets. He's been re-reading the same line for at least six times.  
  
"Do us a favor and forget your scarf tomorrow," Goldstein says, completely derailing Percival's train of thought. She's gone before he could ask her to clarify.  
  
Out of curiosity, he doesn't wear his scarf the next morning. The cold winds aren't unbearable, but only because he apparates to work.  
  
He still rubs the back of his neck to get a bit of warmth back as he walks to his office. Goldstein winks at him as he passes by, disturbingly enough. He hears her start talking just as he's closing his office door, so he leaves it open a tiny bit.  
  
"--your chance, Newt! He's forgotten his scarf!"  
  
What.  
  
Newt was there? Percival hadn't noticed him.  
  
Percival has barely sat down when the door opens and Newt stumbles inside eagerly.  
  
"Mister Graves! Good morning!" Newt says brightly. "I noticed you forgot your scarf today, sir. It's a bit chilly out, and I thought, I have just the thing!"  
  
He unearths a teapot from his coat pocket. Percival raises an eyebrow. With how good Newt seems to be at guessing what Percival needed, this is actually a bit of a let down.  
  
"Thank you, Newt, but I'm afraid I prefer coffee," Percival says apologetically.  
  
Newt flushes. "Oh, no! No, it's not tea, Mister Graves!"  
  
He opens the teapot lid, and something blue and feathery rises from inside.  
  
"Did you call it Lavender?" Percival teases. Newt pouts.  
  
"His name is David," Newt replies. "I thought you could substitute him for your scarf for today. I can guarantee he's very warm, Mister Graves!"  
  
Percival accepts David, but he doesn't put the occamy on immediately. Newt looks confusedly at him.  
  
"Is there a problem...?" Newt asks slowly. Percival considers the question, but Newt evidently decides Percival doesn't answer fast enough. His body language closes off, and his facial expression goes worryingly blank.  
  
"Newt, I--" Percival starts, but Newt cuts him off.  
  
"I've gone too far, haven't I? I'm so sorry for bothering you, Mister Graves," he mutters to the floor. "You... You can just put David back into the teapot and I'll... I'll go..."  
  
Percival sighs. He nudges David to his shoulder and the occamy obediently slithers into place. Newt continues pretending being interested in the floor. Percival goes around his desk to step closer, and he hates the way Newt flinches at his proximity.  
  
"I meant to say that I really appreciate what you're doing, Newt," Percival says.  
  
Newt nods sullenly. "But now I've got to stop doing it. I understand, Mister Graves."  
  
Percival wants to pet his hair, or maybe lay a comforting hand on his shoulder. But he doesn't. He can't take it if Newt flinches away from his touch.  
  
He'll have to use words. _Mercy Lewis help him._  
  
"That's not what I was trying to say. That's not what I want you to do."  
  
"What do you want me to do then, Mister Graves?" Newt asks tonelessly. He's clearly expecting something along the lines of being told to never step foot in MACUSA again or something equally dramatic.  
  
"Please, look at me," Percival whispers. Newt raises his eyes from the floor at last. He gets as far as Percival's shoulders, where David is lounging lazily, but he doesn't meet Percival's eyes.  
  
Not ideal, but it would have to be good enough.  
  
"I was only trying to express my gratitude, that's all. I wasn't trying to drive you away," Percival explains, continuing when Newt remains silent. "You can keep doing it. You don't have to, but you can if you want."  
  
At this, Newt finally glances up, looking gobsmacked. "I can? I thought..."  
  
Percival nods. "I'd still like you regardless. As a friend, or more, if you want."  
  
And Newt... Newt flinches.  
  
"That's... that's not... You're lying..." Newt denies weakly.  
  
"I'm not, I assure you," Percival states, desperately trying to make Newt believe him.  
  
"You never even noticed me before I... No, you're lying, Mister Graves. I'm only ever likeable when I'm useful," Newt mutters in an undertone, avoiding Percival's gaze again. "Otherwise I'm too troublesome, or too awkward, or too _different._ "  
  
"It's true that I only really noticed you the day you lent me Lilac," Percival agrees. "But Newt, I like you because you're kind, and caring. You genuinely love each and every creature you come across. You have your morals and you stick to them. You have your determination, your one-man crusade against the cruelty of humans to magical creatures, and I admire you for it. You somehow always know what I need the most. You understand me, and that's-- That's what I like about you, Newt. It's not because you're _useful._ "  
  
Newt is clutching his own left arm with his right hand, a heartbreaking parody of a hug. He's hunched over, and his head is bowed.  
  
"That's not... How can that be...?" Newt whispers. It's almost a sob.  
  
Percival reaches out, unable to watch Newt fall apart and not do anything. He gathers Newt into his arms for a hug.  
  
"Sometimes, you _are_ troublesome. You break laws when you think it's necessary. Sometimes, you're awkward too. And you're definitely different. But despite that, you are likeable. _I like you._ I won't stop liking you even if you stop being useful to me," Percival says, gently stroking Newt's hair. "I promise, Newt."  
  
Newt looks up, his watery eyes searching Percival's.  
  
"I promise," Percival repeats firmly.  
  
Newt's tears slowly spill over. "Thank you..."

**Author's Note:**

> I'd love to know what you think :)


End file.
